Executive Director
Rich Gonzales

Rich L. Gonzales, became a member of the Denver Fire Department in 1972, and was Denver’s Fire Chief from September 1987 to April 2001. He is a native of Denver, and is the youngest of 14 children. He has four children and three stepchildren.  His wife, Mary Kanan, is Assistant Director the Division of Adult Parole and Community Corrections for the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Rich received his A.A. in Fire Science from Red Rocks Community College, B.S. degree in Business Administration from Regis University (summa cum laude), and a masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. Rich has received certificates from the Senior Executive in State and Local Government and Senior Executive Negotiation programs from Harvard University, and has attended the Rocky Mountain Leadership Program.

Rich has been an instructor at Red Rocks Community College and the University of Colorado at Denver. He has provided keynote speeches, workshop presentations, and motivational lectures in conjunction with organizational theory and organizational change throughout the United States and Canada.

Rich joined the Mile High United Way in May 2001 as the Vice President of Campaign, led the New Markets and Initiatives program and most recently was Vice President of Community Relations. Rich’s responsibilities included meeting with neighborhood associations, chambers of commerce, city councils, educating communities about the programs and services that Mile High United Way provides.